Quiz Show [DVD] [Widescreen] [1995] [Multilingual] [Region 1]

Based on the book by Richard N. Goodwin, this Robert Redford film tells the true story behind the great quiz show scandal of 1959. As television becomes more popular throughout the 1950s, quiz shows follow suit, attracting compulsive viewers who cheer for the brilliant, intellectual contestants--America's best and brightest. Herbert Stempel (John Turturro) may be unattractive and abrasive, but in 1959 he is the reigning champion of the game show TWENTY-ONE. When ratings begin to slip, the network decides that it's time to bring in a more appealing champion and bribes Stempel to answer incorrectly and purposely lose to Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a handsome WASP professor who eventually achieves celebrity status and incredible wealth. Feeling bitter and betrayed, Stempel accuses the producers of feeding answers to the quiz show winners, prompting a congressional investigation. As the scandal grows, a different portrait of America emerges--one that shatters the nation's illusion of perfection so prevalent in the 1950s. Rob Morrow stars as Dick Goodwin, the investigator who labors tirelessly to establish the truth and simultaneously develops a respectful friendship with the subject of the investigation, Van Doren.

"...Directed with quietly dazzling acuity by [Redford]....A rich, handsome articulate film about a subject truly worth talking about..."
New York Times

"...Redford's direction is fluid and self-effacing, and he draws fine performances from his cast..."
Sight and Sound

"...A thoughtful, absorbing drama about moral ambiguity and the affability of evil....Fiennes' ability to project the pain behind a well-mannered faade, to turn intellectual and emotional agony into a real and living thing, is devastating..."
Los Angeles Times

"...Robert Redford has directed QUIZ SHOW as entertainment, history and challenge....[The screenplay] is smart, subtle and ruthless..."
Chicago Sun-Times